Apogee Enterprises Inc. will add a $30 million new glass coater to its Viracon architectural glass-making facility in Owatonna, Minn., an investment the company had considered making at another company plant in Statesboro, Ga.

The coating machine may necessitate hiring “a handful of engineers” to support the new high-tech equipment, but it won’t lead to a large number of new jobs, Mary Ann Jackson, a spokeswoman for the Bloomington-based company, said Monday, Feb. 25.

Viracon makes glass for commercial buildings, and is adding its first new coating machine in 10 years. The machine brings improved technology and efficiency, but isn’t being added to increase capacity, Jackson said. The loading and un-loading process on the new machine will also be more automated than on older machines, she added.

Apogee chose the Owatonna site for its “deepest team of technical talent” and its central location for the company’s North American market, the company said in a news release. Support from the city, county and state “was also a pivotal factor in the location decision,” the company said.

Earlier this month, Apogee announced it would close its Viracon plant in St. George, Utah, for about two years “to better align overall Viracon capacity with the demand expected.”

— John Welbes

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